Swapping engines from some of the world’s most powerful supercars into rather tame-looking sedans and wagons is something you’d be more likely to do in a video game. But did you know BMW actually did it in real life?
During the production of the McLaren F1, designer Gordon Murray tasked BMW M with developing a naturally aspirated engine that could propel the car to speeds that hadn’t been seen on the road before.
What it came up with was a 6.1-litre V12 producing 461kW and 650Nm of torque that helped the model reach 386.4km/h, earning it the Guinness World Record for the world’s fastest production car in 1998.
But before the engine was fitted to the F1, BMW decided to test it by shoehorning it into an M5 Touring (E34).
That’s at least according to former director at McLaren, David Clark, who shared the once-secret information with the world on a past episode of Chris Harris’ Collecting Cars podcast.
After getting behind the wheel for the first time, all Clark had to say was: “It’s an outrageous thing.”
He also mentioned that the F1-powered M5 is still among BMW’s vast collection but has never been seen by the public to this day.
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